The silence embraces me and welcomes me Home. Deep listening becomes alertness, attending to God’s own heartbeat. This is the pulse that keeps the Universe spinning, the reason I am made of stardust.

I feel so clearly that heartbeat as a movement of communion, not just my own heart with the Beloved but with the whole beloved community of life. The rhythm becomes a circle dance with all living beings and creation humming. Earth falls silent then… and all creation bows. There is utter stillness.

Every breath is one breath. In the hush of that knowing, the senses wake up in wonderful wonder. An acorn hits the metal roof of the Lodge of the Carpenter and there is a new vibration in my deeps. A cardinal flies to the dogwood tree and like St. Francis I feel the movement as a brushstroke of passion on the landscape of my soul. The gentle rain invites me to walk softly on the path and the fresh wetness of hope is invigorating. The meadow grasses sway and I lean into Jesus’ embrace. He leads me beside the still waters of Merton’s Pond and sorrows slip away.